Hoi An, Vietnam with kids, a trip I'll never forget

Where to start with Vietnam? It was beautifully complex, sad, enlightening, and amazing! We met Adam's uncle there and a few months following this trip he passed of a sudden heart attack in the night. So Vietnam holds incredibly precious memories for us now. Our time there was truly unforgettable.

This was our itinerary:

day 1  wed arrive check into Lasenta Boutique Hotel

day 2  thurs order clothes/ shoes -market/ Banh Mi Phuong lunch—(Anthony Bourdain’s favorite spot)

Dingo Deli- dinner (super kid friendly + gluten free)

day 3  morning bike ride into Hoi An ancient town, eco cooking class- including food market tour, boat ride, basket boats. morning glory for dinner 

day 4 Sat- pick up clothes/ shoes. Bahn Mi Queen( (local favorite for banh mi’s)

 The marble mountains 

day 5 {wanted to add my son)Sunday fly out 

Let's start with this gem of hotel. I've quickly realized how much my kids love hotels and how important the bed quality is, hello 40! So growing pickier in my hotel choices for vacations was inevitable. Lasenta Boutique Hotel was one of the best I've ever stayed in truly. I mean, c'mon look at this infinity pool over looking the rice fields!! It checked all the boxes for me, ride from airport, incredible breakfast included, unbelievable pool, and tours available from their desk. 5 STARS.

One of the most famous things about the Hoi An area is their ancient town and wonderful leather and tailor goods. I was chomping at the bit to get there and get some custom clothes made!

We walked into a massive indoor market of hundreds of tailors and shoe makers, these are the ones we chose purely on the nice people: SUNY for shoes and Forty Five for tailors! I had two dresses made and two pairs of shoes. My husband got two dress shirts, a suit, and a pair of shoes. Its best to go with picture of what you want or bring something you want copied. I copied a pair of my sandals and a kimono. TIP-order and get fitted for your clothes the first day as it will take 2-3 days for them to make and they delivered our goods to our hotel! It was a great experience. I will say the items aren't the highest of quality but overall the craftsmanship is good.

Our next order of business was nailing down those famous Banh Mi sandiches! I already know I loved a good one, having tried them in the U.S but was ready for the real thing. Two places I researched and heard the most about was Banh Mi Phuong (made famous by Anthony Bourdin) and Banh Mi Queen. We wanted both!

Banh Mi Phuong , packed full of veggies, egg, pate, and pork. Delicious.

Bahn Mi Queen, equally delicious, but just edged out by Banh Mi Phuong 

Another restaurant worthy of your time and walkable from our hotel was Dingo Deli, full of delicious options for kids and gluten free options for me with a play area out back for the kids, winning.

The highlight of the trip by far was our cooking class by Hoi An Eco cooking class booked through klook.com. Klook is my go-to for our tours, classes, and excursions in Asia. They have an app for your phone, Ive used it to book last minute bus tours on the way to the airport, incredible. Here's the highlights from the cooking class, the kids loved every minute.

Because we had sweet Uncle Johnny with us, we were able to sneak away for a bike ride through the Ancient town of Hoi An. I will say this-biking through hoi an is risky business. Once you get in the actual ancient town, scooters are forbidden, but you will have to dodge them on the way there and many times my life flashed before me! Nonetheless it was a wonderful morning and memory. Those mustard yellow walls have my heart!

Lastly, we did two excursions, Marble Mountain in Da Nang which was glorious despite the downpour of rain that day and An Bang Beach on the way to the airport on our last day. I'm already planning a return to Vietnam and would not miss this newly opened wonder in Da Nang if you are going, CHECK THIS OUT. The Golden bridge in Da Nang, mind blown.